Spiral of Darkness
by niara a. tepes
Summary: Two years after his return to the village, Sasuke's body is recovered and his partner is missing. Almost twelve years later, the appearance of a new village and a strange group of children brings the results of that day's events to light. bad at summary
1. Prologue

**A/N: **This is something I started while still in high school when working at a summer camp. I am caught up on the manga, so I'm well aware that this is completely AU.

This pretty much completely disregards anything after chapter 310 of the manga.

**Warnings: **torture, mentions of yaoi, mpreg, AU. If any of these things bother you, I'm not forcing you to read this.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and its characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto and I in no way gain any value beyond the catharsis of writing.

**Prologue: Pain**

Pain ran through his body like liquid fire, searing every nerve in his arms and chest when he tried to breath. Every time he coughed, blood would bubble up, meaning that the rib that had pierced his lung had moved just enough for the organ to begin to fill with the crimson fluid, slowly choking him a little more every second. More of the life-giving fluid ran down his arms from numerous injuries and his wrists were soaked in blood and rust, the manacles around his wrists digging into the raw wounds with every twitch of his body. His long hair was matted to his back, chest, and face, stinging almost as much as the sweat running into his wounds and strands clung together, hanging in dirty clumps. His eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping, hiding the damage done to those once opalescent orbs. Where his pupil-less eyes had once been a beautiful ivory, they were now the color of fresh blood, three, comma-like, black marks spaced evenly around each pupil. Thin scars at the edges of each eye were the only signs of those eyes not being his, the only sign that his had been removed against his will.

The sound of the door opening reached his ears, his body shrinking despite the pain betraying his awakened state, and two figures entered, one of them reeking of blood, the other of dead fish and salt water. A small whimper escaped his throat as the one that smelled of blood came closer, his footsteps echoing loudly in his ears. Long, slender, cold fingers pressed into his face and twisted, forcing his eyes to open and reveal the implantations that had replaced his eyes. Scarlet clashed with scarlet and the cold man smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards just slightly.

"By not removing the veins that formed half of the Byakugan and implanting the Sharingan, you now carry the genes for both," he whispered, staring deeply into the mesmerizing eyes. "Our blood is similar enough that my dear little brother's eyes will not reject you, but you will never be able to turn the Sharingan off, ever. Once we begin the next part of the surgery, we will have an interesting new ability to show the world, an ability that will set you free of your family and the rank they have forced upon you."

He reached up and traced the bloody segment of skin that had once carried his curse seal, the still-healing mess the only sign that the seal had ever been there. Then, while the young man coward against the wall he was chained to, the older leaned forward, dipping his head just slightly, and licked the still wet blood from the wound, his eyes falling closed in such a way that he resembled a smug cat.

Then he released the teen and turned to his partner, gesturing towards the dying man. "Bring him to the medical wing. I will inform Tenshi that her favorite patient is due for his next session."

The young man groaned as he was released from his manacles, his entire body going limp, unable to muster up enough strength to resist the rough handling of the fish-scented man. Cold air hit his naked body as he was dragged out of the cell, chilling him even further than he already was, leaving little doubt in his mind as to just how bad his condition had begun to grow. He was no medic-nin, but he could tell that he wouldn't survive the night in his state.

He could barely focus on anything as he was dragged towards the medical wing and the journey seemed to last both hours and seconds. As he was put onto the steel table in the medic-nin's room, he let the images of his friends and family consume his mind for just an instant, their faces clear, their voices distinct. The distant, slightly blurred memory of his father, sure and confident, enduring despite the fate he had been handed, stayed in his mind, the teen clinging to that image like a lifeline. That was the last face he wanted to see as he lay dying on the table.

"Oh, the poor thing," a woman's overly sugary voice cooed, talon-like nails tracing his numerous wounds lovingly. "He's so beat up. You know better than to be so rough with our toys, Itachi. This boy is much too important to us to let die."

"Just heal him, Tenshi," the cold man said flatly, his words sending shivers down the younger, prone man's spine. "We need…able to survive…couple of years and…kids, only. After…don't care."

"I…know," Tenshi replied airily as her soothing-yet-grating chakra began to pour into his wounds, mending the damage that had been done, both internal and external. "You…every time. Has the leader…who…yet?"

Silence was the only thing that the man could hear before, "I see…be _too_ rough on him…don't want…redo all…hard work…over again."

As the conflicting warmth of the healing spread through his body, Neji felt dread engulf his heart. Whatever they were talking about concerned him and, whatever it was, it didn't bode well for him, especially if they were healing him.

Darkness consumed his mind and he fell into oblivion, the words of the medic and his primary tormentor echoing in his mind.

*+*+*+*

They had found the body in the woods near the cave Shukaku had been removed from Gaara, bound in a preservation jutsu to stall decomposition. Nearly all of them had spent the first half hour after they had found the body puking, unable to look at the damage that had been done. All of the fingers in both hands had been broken, one arm twisted around in such a position that nearly every bone had to be shattered. Both legs were riddled with holes, long gashes that had to have released a river of blood when inflicted and the knees had been torn out, the entire structure, cartilage and all, gone. The stomach looked as if something with very long teeth had feasted on it, intestines and torn organs lying bared for all to see. The nose had been broken, as well as the jaw and the entire right side of the face was one long piece of swelled, bloodied flesh.

But, what really caused even the hardened ANBU to react were the eyes: the sockets were empty, the lids shredded, and the area around the sockets had been torn open forcefully. Even without the large, charred hole in his chest, Sasuke Uchiha would never have served as a shinobi again, if he had survived his injuries.

When they brought the body back to the village and buried him, the scratched hitai-ate was clutched in the hands of his once teammate-turned-lover, Sakura Haruno, his sword in the hands of his other teammate, Naruto Uzumaki. Both stood at the funeral, silent and still, neither of them quite willing to believe that the teammate they had just gotten back was now dead.

It was a grey, wet day in Konoha the day the Last Uchiha was buried. Not a person smiled, every laugh was dead, hollow. The only person whose mind was not on the funeral was the Hokage, the very woman who had inspected the body upon its final return to the village.

The contents of the jounin's pockets had caused the blood in her veins to freeze and terror to well up in her soul.

That night, the moon and stars hidden behind a veil of heavy black clouds, Hiashi Hyuuga walked into the Hokage's office to find the Godaime Hokage sitting behind her desk. The head of the Hyuuga Clan approached her desk and folded his arms inside his sleeves. Tsunade met the Hyuuga's eyes for several minutes before gesturing towards the items displayed in the middle of her desk. Hiashi looked down and froze, his arms falling to his sides limply. A set of preserved, opalescent colored eyes rested on a pillow in front of Tsunade, a single lock of long dark hair the color of black coffee laid on the space in front of it. Her expression was solemn, much more serious than Hiashi had ever seen it, sending a feeling of dread surging through his body.

"Hiashi," she said, her voice flat, strictly neutral. "I felt that you should be the first to know, seeing as your clan has their own way of dealing with these things."

"The first to know of what, Lady Hokage?" Please don't let her say it, please. Her next words had the head of the Hyuuga Clan standing in the center of the woman's office, his gaze locked on the eyes that stared back at him, empty and lifeless.

"Neji Hyuuga has been captured by the Akatsuki."

**A/N: **So, yeah. This story is one that I found on my computer and started cleaning up a bit and decided to post. I know that it's not happy and it's not going to get much happier anytime soon, as nothing I have written so far is even pointing towards happiness for a while.

I appreciate reviews, but don't demand them, so if you want to share your thoughts, great. If not, I understand. Later.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** The time jumps in this are going to seem a little odd, but the early ones are there for what happens later in the story. I'm not sure if this will continue to remain as Neji and Itachi, but until something happens to change the interactions, that's what it's going to remain.

**Warnings:** torture, mentions of yaoi, mpreg, AU. If any of these things bother you, I'm not forcing you to read this.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and its characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto and I in no way gain any value beyond the catharsis of writing.

**Chapter 1: Five Years**

"Why is Dad so mean?" Sharingan stained eyes looked at the little boy that had asked, startled. Slender, smooth hands paused in their movements, the wooden-handled hairbrush in his hands stopping mid-stroke.

"What?" The little boy twisted around to look at his mother, a frown on his cherubic-yet-stern face. Tiny hands grabbed locks of long hair, black eyes staring up into blood red.

"Dad," the boy said. "Why is he always so mean? He makes you bleed all the time and he barely looks at us. Why?"

Stern lips twisted into a frown and the tall, slender man wrapped his arms around the tiny boy, resting the child lightly on one hip with practiced ease as he stood up. "It's because your dad has a lot to do and he doesn't have the time to spare for kids."

"But why does he hurt you?" the youngest of Neji's children whined. He sighed and set his son on the ground, ruffling the boy's spiky, shoulder-length hair lightly. "Doesn't he care about you?"

"Your father cares about himself and his goals and little else," Neji explained. He shifted his son on his hip as he made his way out of the room and down the corridor. "He hurts me because that is how he is. It's the only way he knows how to express himself to others. Now, don't worry so much about it, Sasuke, and let me deal with your father. I can take care of myself."

Sasuke nodded, clearly not liking that he had to do so. "Okay, Momma. I will."

The little boy ran off, his hair waving around his face as he went in a manner similar to his namesake. Neji watched him go with a sad smile before his expression turned hard and his back straightened, shoulders tensing. A pair of slender arms slid around his waist and a slightly taller man with raven black hair and Sharingan-stained eyes set his chin on the young man's shoulder, an amused smile on his lips.

"Let you deal with me, huh? Is that how you keep them away from us, my beautiful Neji?" Neji's jaw clenched tightly, his borrowed eyes staring straight ahead.

"There is no telling what you would do to them, your own children or not. You murdered your parents, after all." Itachi chuckled and bit Neji's neck, drawing a hiss from the man as well as a small pool of blood.

"Don't forget," he whispered, lapping at the blood happily, "I was the one who ripped my little brother's eyes out and killed him. You have every right to be protective of the children you bore into this world. Our sons will be very strong indeed."

Neji said nothing, knowing that there was nothing he could say to deter the Uchiha. Itachi smirked and dragged his tongue up the younger man's throat, sending shivers down the Hyuuga's spine. When he reached the man's ear, he leaned forward a little more and whispered, "Maybe we should give them a sister to play with. You agree, don't you?"

The color drained from Neji's face and he began to shake, one hand rising to rest on his flat stomach protectively. "How did you know?"

"Hizashi and Haran told me. Haran said your chakra was acting funny and Hizashi mentioned that he could see your chakra diverting to your stomach whenever you trained him with Byakugan." Itachi placed one hand over Neji's, pressing it tightly into the area where Neji knew their next child was growing. "If you had told me, I would have rewarded you."

"With what?" Neji spat, the eyes that weren't his flashing with his rage. "What could you possibly have given me that I would have wanted?"

"The counter seal." Neji closed his eyes and hung his head, hair falling about his delicate face. The Akatsuki member smirked, rubbing Neji's stomach lightly. "Come to bed. Tenshi is going to teach the kids for a little while and you need your rest. Carrying a baby takes so much out of you."

Neji nodded, not even resisting as Itachi lead him away, the seal over his heart a burning reminder of what was at risk should he refuse.

*+*+*+*

Six figures ran through the trees, each one of them invisible to the naked eye, even to the most observant of their companions. The lead figure, a dog mask over his features, came to a halt in front of a small gap in the trees, squinting through the slits in his mask to observe the large cave before them. He drew a small blade from the pouch on his hip and sliced the tip of his finger. Running through a set of seals at a rapid pace, he slapped his hand onto the earth, whispering the command. "Kuchiyose no jutsu."

A small pit bull wearing a bandana with the seal of the leaf and a little blue cape appeared, black eyes staring up at the masked man expectantly. "Scout the area. We need to know how many are in there."

Pakkun nodded and the nin-dog slipped into the brush, nose already working. Five other masked figures joined the first an instant later, all of them waiting expectantly for the dog to return. He came back a minute later, frowning.

"There are only a few in there: two men and a woman. No signs of Itachi, but I did catch Neji Hyuuga's scent. I think it was residual to this area. They held him here for a long time and he must have been in an incredible amount of pain or bleeding profusely for it to linger so long."

One of the ANBU, Hana, growled softly, her gloved hands clenching tightly. "They tortured him here?"

Pakkun nodded. "I believe so."

Inu nodded and waved a hand. "You're dismissed, Pakkun. Thank you."

Once the summon had vanished, the leader turned to his squadron. "Two-man teams. Find them and eliminate them. Any information you find on Neji or Itachi, report immediately. We need all the information we can get."

The others nodded and they split up, each group setting out on their mission, all of them set on finding their long lost companion. Or anything that could lead them to his capturers.

*+*+*+*

It took longer than Neji expected for the pain that he had grown accustomed to finally came. At first, it had been sweet, just like it always was when Itachi wanted something from him. Then it was hard and bloody, tearing screams of agony from his throat and tears from his stolen eyes. He lay on his stomach in the large bed, blood pooling in the sheets and running down his legs, back and arms, senbon needles through every pressure point in his arms, shallow cuts decorating his pale legs.

His long hair was splayed on the pillows and sheets, much of it fanned out in clumps due to sweat and blood, and his head was turned to the side so that he could stare at the mirror beside the bed, reflecting every action that Itachi made. He suppressed a wince at the sting of the raw alcohol that Itachi poured onto each and every one of his still bleeding scratches, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from making a sound. The last time he had, he hadn't been able to get up for a week without aggravating the damage Itachi had done to his insides and he had lost his voice for nearly a month.

He felt the chakra of the embryo inside his stomach move just slightly, just enough to remind him why Itachi had taken it so easy on him: reminding him of what the Uchiha wanted of him.

Neji was the Uchiha's broodmare, the Akatsuki's prized experiment.

When the surgery on Neji's eyes had been completed and it was proven that he now possessed a combined form of the Sharingan and the Byakugan, the Akatsuki immediatly injected with demon cells into Neji's malleable body. Those cells had been manipulated and altered so that they formed a womb and birth canal, allowing the Hyuuga to bear the children that the Akatsuki desired from him.

In the past five years, he had born three children, all sons. They had been triplets, two identical and one fraternal. Hizashi and Sasuke, named by Itachi in a rather mocking manner, were the twins and the younger children, while Haran, the oldest of the triplets, was named by Neji, the only one of his children that Itachi would allow him to name. All three of the boys favored their "mother" over their father in personality and appearance and all three of them listened to Neji, knowing instinctively that he was trying to protect them at all times.

The child he was pregnant with now would be the first daughter that Itachi would have him bear, the first of many if Neji stayed with Itachi for much longer. But Neji knew that he would never be able to escape the Uchiha, not so long the binding seal over his heart remained unbroken.

The one time Neji had found the courage to destroy the seal was the day he discovered his second pregnancy, ensuring that he would not end his life until the girl could fend for herself.

Neji closed his eyes, tears leaking out to bead on his lashes, as Itachi began to lick the blood that ran from his lower body off, trying to drive the pain from his mind and focus on other things. When Itachi grabbed a senbon and slammed it through the back of his left thigh and mounted him again, Neji had no choice but to absorb the pain, his mind incapable of acknowledging anything else.

**A/N:** So, yeah…I realize that I have some issues if this is what comes out of my brain, and no, I don't really care. If you want to try and insult me about it, be my guest. I'm already aware of what goes on inside my own head. Later.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter to give an idea of what's happening before things really get moving in this fic.

Thank you to the people that reviewed. I really appreciated that you liked this or at least found it interesting enough to ask me to keep going.

**Warnings:** torture, mentions of yaoi, mpreg, AU. If any of these things bother you, I'm not forcing you to read this.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and its characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto and I in no way gain any value beyond the catharsis of writing.

**Chapter 2: Beginnings**

The darkness that filled the room was absolute as three tiny figures made their way through the large halls of the house, normally black eyes stark white with one or two comma-like marks spaced around a blood red pupil emitting the only light in the corridor. Hizashi, the one who actually knew what they were looking for, was in the lead, his two brothers trailing behind, all three as silent as ghosts. They were on a mission that, to them, meant more than life or death.

They needed to save Mommy.

Haran, the most timid of the three, had gone to their father's room, knowing that their mother would be there, and heard their mother crying out in pain. He had come running to his brothers and they all made the decision to save their mother, the only question was how.

It was Hizashi that had come up with the plan. Having the sharpest eyesight of the three and the best control over the Byakugan aspects of their kekkai genkai, he had seen the seal that was over their mother's heart several times, a seal that bound him to their father. They all knew that every seal and counter seal imaginable was in their father's library - all of Daddy's partners had said so – so they had all agreed to go find the one closest to the one Hizashi had seen.

They needed to save Mommy.

Sasuke set his jaw and glanced behind them, watching for their father to appear, as the man was prone to do. He had been talking to Mommy earlier and Mommy had told him to leave things to him. Sasuke knew their mother couldn't fight their father, and he had known that their mother was always acting to direct attention away from them and onto himself, protecting the brothers. Now, it was their turn to protect Mommy from their father.

They entered the library as quietly as possible, breaking apart immediately to find the scrolls they would need. Haran went to the section on the forbidden arts, Sasuke to the contracts, and Hizashi to the standard seals. They hunted for over two hours before Hizashi grabbed his brothers, a slender scroll in hand. "Let's go. I found it."

They were going to save Mommy.

*+*+*+*

Hinata found Naruto and Sakura at the monument, talking with their long dead teammate, sad expressions on their faces. It always pained her to see them like this each time they went to visit Sasuke. The Hyuuga could see the pain in her fiancé's heart every time someone even mentioned Sasuke around him and Sakura was even worse.

For the first several months after his death, both ate rarely and hardly slept, going out on mission after mission for over seven months. In the end, their self-destructive lifestyle was halted by their old teacher: Kakashi Hatake.

The one-eyed man had quite literally kicked them both out of bed one morning and dragged them to the monument. There, he had proceeded to explain to them just what the monument was for and the stupidity of their current state. Less than a week later, both of them applied and joined the ANBU and developed the habit of visiting the monument almost every day.

Luckily, neither had developed any of their former instructor's more annoying habits so far.

Naruto and Hinata had been dating for over three years, now, and their wedding was scheduled for June, right on this very spot so that Sasuke could be part of the ceremony. The only thing that could make the ceremony a more fitting conclusion to the closure that they all needed would be if they could find Neji, or his body, and bring him home.

She could still remember that day, when she and the remainders of the Konoha Twelve were called into the Hokage's Office and the sight of those ivory eyes staring up at them, bare and accusing.

_Hinata wanted to cry so badly, but knew that she didn't have time for that. Neji would be returning from his mission soon and she had been summoned to see the Hokage. She could cry once her cousin was back and could protect her from the accusations of their family._

_Beside her, TenTen and Lee looked worried, both of them sharing glances and wringing their hands in agitation. When asked why they were doing it, they had both said that Neji was never late. This time, he was._

_As they filed into the Hokage's office, the ten that remained of their twelve, they were greeted by the sight of Hiashi Hyuuga, his face drawn and pale, seated in one the chairs facing the Hokage's desk, his expression one of pure horror and shock. Tsunade stood up, her expression far too hard for any news that she carried to be good._

"_As of today, Shikamaru, Shino, Ino, Kiba, and TenTen will be going on a search and rescue mission. The rest of you are here so that you can know why," she stated. She waved one hand at the center of her desk. There, sitting on a pillow was a set of pearl-colored eyes with a long chunk of coffee colored hair spiraled around the orbs. "These were found in Sasuke's vest pocket. I had sent Sasuke and Neji on a mission to track down and eliminate Itachi Uchiha while the Akatsuki was weakened by the deaths of three more of their ranks. When Sasuke's body was found but Neji's was nowhere to be seen, I began looking through Sasuke's injuries and what he was carrying. He was still alive when they ripped his eyes out, and, based on the hemorrhaging around the incisions, Neji was still alive when his were removed as well."_

_She paused and took a deep breath, letting what she was implying sink in. Faces turned pale and Hinata placed a hand over her mouth, her tears in her eyes._

"_I believe Itachi Uchiha and the Akatsuki captured Neji Hyuuga and implanted Sasuke's Sharingan in him. Why, I do not know, but I think that the Akatsuki is trying to create a new ability by rejoining the Uchiha and Hyuuga bloodlines. If that is the case, we need to find Neji at once. Do all of you understand?"_

_Every single person in the room nodded. Tsunade sighed and sat back down, pressing her clenched fists into her forehead. "If we can not find Neji in less than a year, we must assume that he is dead. The Hyuuga have already tried using the caged bird seal to track Neji, but it appears to have been destroyed or negated. Do not let your guard down under any circumstances from this point forward until we have captured Itachi and find Neji. All of you are dismissed."_

_Hinata fled the office, the tears she had been holding back streaming down her face, her heart in pain. First Sasuke, now Neji. It was as if the world were trying to destroy them all. Trying, and succeeding._

Shaking her head to banish the memory, Hinata joined her friends, wrapping her arms around Naruto's waist to offer him a small measure of comfort. "Did you have a nice talk with him?"

Sakura and Naruto smiled at her and nodded, knowing that the silence that surrounded them in this moment would never return or be the same.

*+*+*+*

'_Two more months,'_ Neji thought as he stared out the window into the darkened village, _'and I will be completely useless.'_

His slender hands were resting protectively over his bare, slightly rounded stomach, holding the slowly growing child closer to him. Neji leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, willing the wet, burning sensation to disappear for the time. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he opened his eyes again and viewed the world through Sasuke's stolen eyes, the thin lines that remained from the surgery aching slightly. A chill seeped into his body as he felt Itachi enter the room, appearing behind him like a ghost. Neji's long hair fell around him like a veil as he ducked his head, hiding from the older, stronger man.

Itachi ran his fingers through Neji's hair, as if soothing a wild animal, and hummed softly, the tune one that reminded Neji of one his mother had sung to him as a child. It made him think it was one the Uchiha's mother had to have sung to him as a child as well. Slowly, the tension eased from Neji's body and he surrendered to the Uchiha's touch, knowing that it was easier when he gave in over when he fought back. When Itachi grabbed his hair and yanked, he gasped in pain, looking up through the long strands to meet the Uchiha's gaze.

"The leader has come up with a plan to make great use of you, my dear Neji," the Uchiha said calmly, dragging the slightly shorter man to his feet. "A little position that will need a proper puppet for it to work. You will be that puppet and I shall become the puppeteer so long as it is necessary for the illusion to be maintained."

Neji nodded his head, tears leaking out of his eyes to run down his cheeks each time Itachi pulled at his hair, dragging Neji closer to him. The Uchiha smirked and leaned forward, licking the salty water off the younger man's face in delight. "You will do exceptionally well at this, I think." Itachi pressed his hand to Neji's swollen stomach, smirking as the child shifted beneath his hand. "Very well, indeed."

**A/N:** So, yeah….time skip next chapter, so don't be surprised by a sudden shift in ages.


End file.
